Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm 49 years old and spent a lifetime wearing minimal makeup. I'm talking some mascara, lipstick and maybe a little bronzer. I quit using foundation when I was 16 and realized last summer that I'd better figure out how to use it again, because I NEEDED it!! Needless to say, learning about makeup at my age was an eye-opening experience, and it was startling to realize that so many foundations made me look so much OLDER after I applied them. So, it's been an ongoing search, and an incredibly frustrating one, at times. This foundation can be gorgeous and produce such a glowing, healthy look to your skin....but you really need to be aware of how you prep you skin and be aware of how to deal with it after it's on your skin. This foundation contains sodium hyaluronate (a form of hyaluronic acid) which is all the rage in skin care and it's now making its way into makeup. Which can cause some real problems if you're not prepared for it. If you live in a dry climate (I do) or it's winter (it is) then the thing that hyaluronic acid (I'm just gonna call it HA from here on) needs to work, which is water, is seriously lacking. It can still work for you though. Make sure your skin is well moisturized prior to application. I'd recommend skipping the sponge, although if you do use one, make sure it's damp....even just a touch damper than you would usually use it. I use a brush AND my fingers.....my fingers in areas where I want heavier coverage and buffing it on with a brush where I want lighter coverage. I also set it very lightly. It doesn't settle into lines and wrinkles like most other foundations. Now it's not going to smooth them out for you, they're still going to be there. What I'm saying is that it doesn't migrate and cake up in them. It sinks into the skin beautifully. The next step, for me at least, is crucial right now, since the air is so dry here. After I've set it lightly with a finishing powder, I hit it GENEROUSLY with a dewy setting spray. It has made all the difference. If it starts to feel dry through the day, I'll give it a quick spritz in that area and that seems to solve the problem. It wears REALLY well, I'd say 8-10 hours. The finish isn't luminous, it's more of a healthy glow that looks really amazing and just seems to get better through the day. I think this is going to be AMAZING this summer when the humidity returns because it's such a lightweight, moisturizing formula and that extra moisture in the air will make using this foundation a breeze. PLUS, I love the SPF in this. That doesn't mean I skip my regular SPF, because for SPF to work you've got to put on a certain amount.....and I don't care what anyone says, there is no way I'll be convinced that this is enough to provide adequate protection. But at the same time, I'll never say no to MORE protection. Ever. The coverage is what I would call a light to medium coverage. I can still see my areas of broken veins/redness peeking through where they are most concentrated. I ordered Ivory as I'm fair skinned (red hair, blue eyes, pasty white skin during winter) and the color match was good. Overall, if you experience dryness with this, don't be afraid to work with it to provide some moisture because the results are definitely worth it!!!